20160112

How I Grew my Blog in a Few Months

These past few months have been really great for my blog; I feel like I'm becoming better at the various skills that make up blogging and my blog has grown considerably in that time too. Obviously numbers aren't the be-all and end-all but it always feels amazing to feel like people are recognising your hard work. Also obvious but I'm still not some huge blogger on everyone's radar, but I have grown my blog considerably from what it was and hopefully can grow it further. I think my experience could be really useful for bloggers like mine was that are hovering somewhere between 500 and 2000 followers that want to reach more people but aren't quite sure how to.

InstagramSummer 2015: 1000-1500 followersNow: 6500 followers

Instagram just got bigger in general

This is pretty self-explanatory but I think Instagram in general exploded in the latter part of last year, so of course mine (along with most people's Instagram accounts) saw an increase in followers from the end of summer.Regular postsDifferent people will tell you to post at different times but personally I post twice a day: once in the morning on the way to work, often to promote a blog post (I know Instagram doesn't drive a huge amount of direct traffic but it's good to alert followers you have a new post up) and one on the way back from work, usually of a particular selection of products I'm loving at the moment. Daily or every other day is probably a good aim, but quality is definitely more important than quantity, as posting low-quality images several times a day could actually make people un-follow!Exclusive contentThis is sort of linked but I see accounts of bloggers all the time with WAY better images than mine that have fewer followers and it's usually because they post about once a week and only ever to promote a blog post. I'm not criticising them at all (maybe they're not that fussed about Instagram or maybe that's all they're able to do) but if you're looking for growth, you have to step it up a gear. One way of doing that (which works for me) is posting regular content and giving people something they won't get just by visiting your blog. I post pictures of products I'm loving, my face of the day, some hauls and all my empties exclusively on Instagram so even people who follow my blog elsewhere get something extra.

Quality of images

As I mentioned earlier, posting high-quality images is important. I try to pre-take all my beauty images in bulk with my camera when I take my blog photos as I have good lighting and all the products out already, however I do spontaneously post phone camera images when I'm out and about. When I do this, I always edit them on an app like VSCO before posting. At the end of the day, it's your feed so post what you want, however I try to keep my Instagram semi-slick and save the dodgy nightclub photos for Facebook!

Consistent themeLinked with the quality, it's nice to have a theme to your photos that makes them identifiably you without them all looking the same. Whether it's using a particular background, prop or filter it's great to have a style that makes people think 'yep that's them' before people even see your name next to the photo.Relevant hashtagsA lot of people are very anti-hashtag but unless you have a huge following, you probably aren't going to reach anyone new without them! Just keep it relevant to your post and try to choose slightly more specific hashtags to improve your chances of being seen. For example, your post will probably be lost within moments under #makeup however a fair few people will probably notice it under #flatlay.

Get noticed by brands

Always, always, always tag brands when you post their products! I've had my photos re-posted by brands like Real Techinques and Nars and it really is amazing exposure. I gained about 200 followers just by Lorac liking one of my photos and my Instagram exploded when I was re-grammed by Nars. I've also had brands reach out to me to collaborate through my tagging them in Instagram images. Yeah, you probably won't get any acknowledgement for 9 images out of 10 but it's well worth doing for big brands to notice that 1 photo.

BloglovinStart of December 2015: 2000 followersNow: 9000 followers

LuckIt's a little bit surreal that it took me a good year and a bit to get to 2000 followers and that's more than quadrupled in just a month! It sort of proves that number of followers and having a good blog are not the same thing. My content is no better than it was a month ago, I was just lucky enough to have the platform for people to see it. I'm honestly so grateful for all the support as I'd never have imagined my blog would reach this many followers, let alone in this short space of time (thank you so to anyone reading, whether you've been here a year and a half or a week and a half!)

Feature in Bloglovin Edit

In November I was featured twice in the Bloglovin Beauty email and both times saw an increase in followers, however it was one post of mine being featured in the Bloglovin Edit that really led the the spike in followers in the past month. It does sometimes feel like the only way to be big on Bloglovin is to be big on Bloglovin and the Popular Post pages do tend to be dominated by the same few, however it's great that the site is now doing things to spotlight smaller bloggers. I don't have a mate at Bloglovin and neither of the posts had a significantly high number of likes before they were featured (maybe 10-20, so a little above average), so there are clearly people out there looking at smaller blogs and if your post is good, you have as much a chance of being featured as someone with 100k followers.

Actively using itIt sounds obvious, but a lot of people do set up Bloglovin, let it sit there and wonder why more isn't happening. For me it's my main channel for reading blogs and I interact with other bloggers through it by saving posts I want to read more of or enjoyed so much I want to re-visit. I also try to leave comments as much as possible (genuine comments, not spam, people!)

Using a good first imageBloglovin automatically pulls the first image from your post, so make sure it's a good one as it's what people are going to see to represent your content!

I honestly don't know a huge amount about SEO, so if you're looking for a comprehensive guide, you've come to the wrong place! Cocochic has some great information on it. My DA isn't amazing or anything but I haven't been doing much to improve it, the things I've done to improve it are below, and you don't have to be an expert at all to grow in this area!

Search description & permalink

If you're on Blogger, go into your settings and enable search descriptions. Now when you compose a post, it gives you the option of typing in a search description. This is handy if you want to show up in Google searches but want to give your post a title a bit more fancy than 'review of xyz products'. You can also rename your permalink to include the most important words from the title so the web address is more search-friendly.

Name your photosInstead of IMG0001 or whatever, rename your photos (I do it when I edit and re-save them) to be reflective on what the post is about. This will help your images show up in Google searches and drive more traffic.Buy your own domainI bought my own domain name in May of last year. It isn't too tricky to install at all, and you don't have to be self-hosted if you don't want to, however it will improve your SEO and allow you to generate your own DA.

General Improvements in 2015The look and feel of my blogI'm not particularly versed in blog design but in 2015 I got a new blog design and header (which you can read about here). Also, I just tried to improve the layout, design and formatting of my blog, ensuring it is mobile friendly and is easy-to-use and intuitive to navigate around. PhotographyWriting is fairly natural to me, however photography was a whole new skill to learn when I started blogging. My images have improved a lot over the past year and hopefully will continue to do so, as there's always room for growth with this sort of skill. You can read about my photography process here.Finding a schedule that works for meWe all have different lifestyles and organise ourselves differently and in 2015, I feel like I worked out a rhythm that suited me and allowed me to post regularly and reliably. As life changes I'll continue to adapt my blogging schedule to work around everything else going on for me.The one area of my blog that is completely stagnant is Twitter. I enjoy it for Twitter chats and interacting properly with other bloggers and use it to promote posts too, so if you have any tips for growing it then please do share them in the comments!

136 comments

I've loved your blog from the beginning so it's nice to see how well it's doing! And your Instagram, it makes me jealous every morning at your photography skills. I decided at the weekend to use my camera for Instagram rather than my phone, the camera is pants when I look back on it! Going to save this though for when I'm home to see what else I can improve on! x

Great post Hun, really helpful. I'm really trying to grow my Instagram and Twitter accounts at the moment, slowly but surely in getting there. I've recently just setup my own domain for the new site so this was really helpful!

Hi Amanda, I'm following you on IG and your feed looks gorgeous. I really liked the grey 'theme' you had going on a while ago. I'm just starting myself and I must admit I have difficulties keeping the vibe throughout all my IG pictures. I'll get there eventually.

Aw lovely post! It's so great to see all of your success and your hard work paying off. I've had a bit of a roadblock w/blogging as I've been quite busy and dealing with personal things but I'm very active on instagram, which is where my new followers usually end up coming from. This is a great guide! Thanks for writing it and as always love what you do! <3333

When I started following your blog you had around 1k on Bloglovin and it is so incredible to see how fast you've grown and improved since than! It really shows that hard work always pays off sonner or later & I bet will be much much bigger than you're now! Just keep doing what you're doing and be yourself ;) xx

Jasmine, your blog is seriously one of my favourites. You've probably seen me a few times now lurking and commenting. Thanks for your tips, I never knew about the permalink. I also never tag brands on my Instagram posts. Really great post!

Some really useful tips there and more so about instagram and I feel that these would be really helpful and I will be trying some of those out. I have always loved your blog and your photo's are stunning :)

These are such great and useful tips. Thanks for sharing these. I agree with so much of what you're saying, especially with Bloglovin. You have to be active on there. I've been looking into buying my domain for a while now, but I have no spare money so that will have to wait.x

Awww this was such a lovely post to read and your blog is so lovely (One of my faves but you already know that..xx.) You work hard on your blog and I am so pleased with you growth and it can only get better hun!! Thanks for sharing...xx

Great blog post! As a new blogger i love reading this sort of thing, it helps so much and motivates me to keep up the hard work! Thank you, you should be very proud of how far you've come and i wish you the most success in 2016 x

this is such a useful post, thank you so much for sharing. Your blog is fab, really enjoy catching up with your posts! :) Will need to save this for later too, only just realised you could do this lol, oh.. and that phone case *SWOON!*

This post is so helpful. I've just stated my own blog and I must admit these posts are gold for me. It's crazy how quickly you've grown your viewership! I hope it continues like this. Thanks again for the great tips. xx

Such a helpful post!! I definitely need to remember to save posts more in Bloglovin' ! :) and I will be making notes of all these tips. Thanks for sharing. I really admire how much work and effort you put into your blog!

Wow I didn't even notice your followers count on bloglovin' exploded so much! Congrats! No wonder you get such amazing opportunities to work with brands ;) I'm struggling on the Instagram front, I believe it's such a great one for exposure to other brands, however I do use it for personal use too. I made a new account specifically to link to my blog posts and post all beauty related stuff. I'm still figuring it out but I'm already so happy with 800 followers in just a bit over a year of blogging ;)

I think everyone wants to improve their photography - it's a skill that can always be bettered! I found your blog on Bloglovin' and have to say that I also use it as my main way of finding and reading blogs. It's great! Good luck for this year!

This is such a useful post Jasmine! I'm honestly so happy for you that your blog has expanded so quick, it is really well deserved as you can tell how much effort you put into here! It's been really exciting watching it grow and can't wait to see where you are this time next year!

I'll be definitely using some of this advice for myself, especially Instagram-wise, your feed is goals

Great tips! I must admit Twitter is something that I'm awful at & I should definitely try to promote via Instagram more. I like the idea of adding "search descriptions" to a post - I'll have to give this a try soon.

Can't believe the growth you have had in such a short space of time, so well deserved as well! I'm the same with Twitter I really need to start joining in more of the chats, some great tips though that I'll keep in mind! Wishing you even more success for the future xx

I have been following your blog for a long time, I was just a ghost visitor and I've always liked it. You are doing a great job and I am sure numbers will grow more and more. Improving photography is on top of my list, in winter times it is really hard to take bright photos. Thanks for the tips. xx

A massive congratulations on all the growth you've had! I definitely agree with what you said about instagram. If I'm looking through a hashtag and one of pictures come up.. I know its yours before I even click on it (probably a bit stalkerish haha) Its the way you edit them.. Its unique! I don't really have any beneficial tips for you.. sounds like you've got it down! Thanks for sharing :) xx

Loved this post! The increase in followers and exposure couldn't have happened to a better blog/blogger! So exciting to see! Definitely need to get practising my photography skills ha! P.S have a feeling you could be back in the Bloglovin Edit/email with this one :P

This was such an awesome post. I like that you included luck into your Bloglovin section, because I really feel a lot of it is luck. I've been working on growing my content and social media a lot, and this post really helped. Thank you, Jasmine!

These are really good tips. I have felt kind of stuck in the same spot for a while. Not to say you need a lot of followers, but when you put in a lot of work you do want it to be seen.http://www.lipstickisalife.com/

Thank you for sharing your tips lovely. I feel frustrated sometimes as lack of time is my main enemy. Whenever i have a bit of free time i try to get everything organised for my next blog post... So kinda feel stuck at this point. Your tips were very helpful and i will definitely look more into them. Would you be able to tel me what the difference is between Bloglovin Beauty email and Bloglovin Edit?Thank you

This was such a helpful post Jasmine, I've been screencapping so much of what you said so that I can work on it later and not forget! Love how you wrote this in a very non-judgemental way as well, I hate when tips post are written in a way that sounds judgy or pushy because I feel like we're all just trying to do our best and learn as we go :)

Thank you for the massively helpful tips! For someone who's only just beginning it's such an eye opener. I've literally just chanced upon your blog and it looks amazing and I'm now a fan! Good luck for 2016 and I'm looking forward to reading more from you :)) xxxhttp://kayleighmakesup.blogspot.co.uk

Jas, I have been reading all of your posts and I must say I am really a fan of you and ur blog....Seriously, you take fab photographs...You are an inspiration to many girls like me....And, thanks for all the great tips....TC :) happy New Year!!

You have done such an amazing job with your blog Jasmine. I am pretty sure I have been watching your blog since the beginning and I actually really loved seeing how well you have taken it. Great job, gorgeous!

Thank you so much for sharing what has worked for you! I've been finding my feet during my first year and would like to focus on growing in 2016, so all of this is very helpful. How do you feel about advertising on other blogs that you genuinely like? Do you think it is a good way to raise awareness? Something that has always helped me is to interact with other bloggers, so every morning before I go to work I sit down for about 20 minutes reading posts on Bloglovin' and commenting on those posts that make me want to say something. There are lots of posts I enjoy and have nothing to add or ask, so I don't. I like to only comment when I genuinely want to say something, which I think is very important.

Personally I've only ever done it once and it was a pretty big blog but the advert was very small on the page and I didn't see much difference :( (also the button I used at the time wasn't great!) And yeah, definitely agree, only leave genuine comments, even if it is just appreciating the post, it's nice to let the person know you're reading and enjoyed it :) xx

I would love to grow my blog and just generally be more active but unfortunately I'm too sick most of the time to post so I just have to live vicariously though others lol. I have certainly upped my nail picture game but my product pictures aren't there yet. I have no idea how to get any bloglovin followers to begin with.

Congratulations! I love your insta posts as they are consistent and great to look at. It's so interesting to see what products people use and if they're the same I'm like "OMG I LOVE THIS TOO" haha, well done on the success x x

A very interesting read, thanks for sharing your tips and congrats on how far you've come. I hope 2016 is even more successful for you :-)

I'm just starting out blogging and it is a little daunting. I have content but k procrastinate a bit too much and haven't been as regular uploading as I should be. But I am trying to be. Ore active on Instagram and Twitter, would love to join in on those blogger chats they have but not quite sure how to go about it. Do you take part in those kind of chats?

Thank you so much for sharing this. I feel so encouraged by it since I really want to grow my blog. Right now I try to focus on one social media platform at the time and see how that works out for me. xoxo

I love posts like this; blogging isn't all about numbers and success but it is so handy to know what others are doing to get more exposure and reach larger audiences. Congrats on all of your success so far Jasmine, you absolutely deserve it!

Thank you for sharing this! I think it's so helpful to hear about how other people come about success. It helps fuel ideas that will hopefully help me be more successful in my blogging journey! Love your blog!xx Danyhttp://the-queens-empire.blogspot.com

Hey Jasmine, I just found you on bloglovin and I gotta say that I'll definitely be visiting again. I found this post super helpful, I'm always looking for ways to gain more exposure but sometimes I feel I get lost in a sea of bloggers! It's really nice to see your blog has done so well :) Have a great day!

This post is super helpful, thanks so much! I have random growth spurts with my blog and social media every so often. I've followed your blog for a while now and I can say, I've seen it grow! Hey, I followed when it was Magpie Jasmine!:) xxx

Great post - I'm clueless about SEO so learning abut search descriptions was really useful for me! And maybe I could do with taking Instagram a bit more seriously, too. It's amazing how much you've grown! x

Your blog has grown so much Jasmine, it's incredible! You should be so proud of how far you've come. This was a really inspiring, positive post to read! I can't to read more of your future content and watch you grow even more! I'm defo going to take on these tips and start posting more!

This was such an inspiring post to read Jasmine! When I find the time to read posts yours is always one of my favourites to read, you explain everything with just enough detail and have such gorgeous photography so well done on your substantial growth lately - definitely very well deserved! I've always found Instagram to be the hardest to gain exposure on, Urban Outfitters did regram me the other day though which has boosted my follower count by around 30. It isn't a lot but a little goes a long way as they say, I think posting more on insta is my general down fall, when you're following a specific theme it can sometimes be hard to think of what to post next. Definitely agree with you on leaving comments through Bloglovin' whenever I do this I always see a substantial rise in my traffic and returned comments which is lovely. SEO is one thing I definitely need to get more clued up on this year too, I have been following the tips you mentioned above for a couple of months but I'm sure there's probably more I need to look into!

Thank you so much for your kind words Toni :D I think Instagram can be a bit unpredictable in all honesty! I guess with re-grams it all depends how many followers their own account has, I think for it to have an impact they need to have at least 500k-ish. I find that posting images with products from just that brand means they're really likely to want to re-share, maybe try that! SEO is still my weak point but the things I do seem to be working slowly but surely! :) xx

Thankyou so much for taking out the time to make this post! Your blog, content, photography, writing style and dedication are all so inspirational! I also think the consistency of your posts are a key reason why your blog has grown and I am so proud and happy for you! You deserve a lot more recognition because it takes a lot of churn out such fantastic content on a regular basis alongside work, studying, social life etc!Iqra | The Blushing Giraffe x

Thank you so much for sharing this post! I have been a fan of your blog for quite some time now and it's nice to see how much you have progressed! I absolutely love your photography and style of writing x

I'm always really intrigued to read your posts when I see your photos pop up on twitter they look so good! It's something I definitely need to work on and to get more organised around work and blogging! Brilliant tips thanks for sharing them! Steph x

This was a great blog post to read. Hopefully my blog becomes a success as at the moment I only get 14 views on one blog post which is quite sad as I put a lot of work into my posts. I can't believe how much you have gained and how quick you did it. Congratulations! x

It's amazing to see how far you have come in such a little about of time especially on bloglovin!! I only recently started blogging and I find it quite hard to get the readers to read my posts - but already I feel like interaction with other bloggers and blogs can bring people to your own!! I love reading you blog posts :)

Wow! Well done in coming such a long way in such a small amount of time!Your blog is honestly gorgeous, it's clear how hard you work.I've been blogging for a while now but I feel like I haven't properly invested my time in it so these tips really help and actually inspire me to work harder! I've followed you on all platforms as I really do love your content - your Instagram is beautiful!! Alice x